2015 Composition Festival

 

KANATA, ON March 2015 – Music for Young Children has just completed its 28th International Composition Festival with 7,942 MYC students taking part in Canada, the U.S., Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.  Compositions are judged within their level in four different regions – Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB), Eastern Canada (ON, PQ, NS, NB, PEI, NF), United States, Asia & New Zealand (South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam).  The eight first place (eight different age levels) International winners each receive $250.

 

According to Frances Balodis, MYC Composition Chairperson and founder of Music for Young Children, “This year all of the reviewers noticed that students were listening to their teacher about giving titles to their compositions. Almost every composition did in fact have a title.  That makes compositions so much easier to understand. The titles were often about weather as we have had such a tricky winter this year! We all want to have spring! Some titles were about flowers and warmer times.”

 

Cathy Morabito a teacher and Quebec Coordinator and who was our guest judge this year said “As a teacher I never really knew the process of the selections and often wondered how they went about it. I can assure you that it is not a process taken lightly. Every single competitive submission was played, some numerous times, to be 100% sure before making a decision. So how do compositions get to the finalists stage? One reviewer plays the submission, if she thinks it is good, it goes to a second reviewer; if that reviewer thinks it's also good, it goes to a third reviewer. So yes, three reviewers in order to get to the final regional stage. One submission can be played five times, maybe even 10 times. No decision is made lightly. Once the submission is selected to be considered as a finalist, a team of three reviewers select the regional finalists. Once the regional selections are made a team of several reviewers select the international winners. WOW!!!! What a process!”

 

Approximately 1,000 students sent in their artwork for the Composition Festival sticker and student Ryan Lotocki’s artwork was chosen.  Ryan is in Moonbeams 3 and a student of Debbie Sehl in Brampton, Ontario.  Kanata artist Dorothy Hayter takes on the job of choosing the art for the composition sticker every year “once more it has been difficult to select a few from the many delightful entries”.

 

Roland Canada sponsors the Music for Young Children Composition Festival and provided six F-20 keyboards. Roland truly demonstrates a dedication to music education through their fine instruments and through their support of this composition festival.  Thanks also to ASAP Printing for printing our composition stickers.

 

In business for 35 years, Music for Young Children is taught to 24,000 students annually across Canada, the United States, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. For more information phone 800-561-1692 or visit www.myc.com.

 

Janice Reade, Public Relations in Ottawa 613-592-7565.

 

International Composition Festival: Congratulation to the Winners in Mississauga MYC

KANATA, Ontario, April 1, 2010 –
Music for Young Children’s 2010 International Composition Festival is now in its 23rd year. A total of 12,219 Music for Young Children students took part from across Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. Compositions are judged within their level in seven different regions – Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB), Ontario, Eastern Canada (PQ, NS, NB, PEI, NF), United States, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand and Vietnam. The first place winners of each of these regions then compete internationally. Fifteen reviewers, including visiting Canadian composer Dr. Stephen Chatman, played every piece. “I found the MYC festival process fascinating and completely unique, in the sense that it involves so many very young composers. The experience of perusing multitudes of well written little pieces by such an array of talented young children was unforgettable,” according to Dr. Chatman.

Dr. Stephen Chatman is Professor and Head of the Composition Division at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. A consecutive winner of the 2005 and 2006 Western Canadian Music Awards “Outstanding Classical Composition” and a 2006 Juno nominee, Dr. Chatman is recognized internationally as a composer of choral, orchestral and piano music. Dr. Chatman is the only North American to have won three consecutive BMI Awards to Student Composers, Inc.

Music for Young Children (MYC) is the story of Frances Balodis who started the business at her kitchen table and has seen it grow exponentially. Frances Balodis believes music is a gift that lasts a lifetime, her passion and dedication to bringing this gift to children stand unsurpassed. In 1980, building on her background as an educator and piano teacher, Frances set out to create an engaging music program for children aged three to 11. Her goal was to develop the world’s first keyboard-focused curriculum that, through clever merging of play and study, welcomed children to the joy of music and also to give them a seamless path to traditional conservatory programs. The result was Music for Young Children, an internationally renowned music business.

MYC, celebrating its 30th birthday, is now taught to 24,000 students annually across Canada, the United States, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. For more information phone 800-561-1692 or visit www.myc.com.

Janice Reade, Public Relations in Ottawa 613-592-7565

Sunshine 1 (3+4 years)
1. Tran Minh Khang, Going to the Park, Vietnam.
2. Chloe Dzemalovic, Pretty Princess Chloe, Edmonton, AB.
3. Charlie Brekke, Bumble Bees, Holmdel, NJ.
4. Malina Samsoodeen, Snow Flakes, Mississauga, ON.

Sunshine 2 (4+5 years)
1. Jin-Woo Lee, A Gloomy Hedgehog, Korea.
2. Christie-Ann Koh, Little Ducklings, Singapore.
3. Jaimie Edel, A Princess Lost Her Love, Winnipeg, MB
4. Ethan Parikh, My Special Flag, Mississauga, ON.

Sunbeams 1 (5+6 years)
1. Kaelin George-Wagner, My Little Hampster, Dartmouth, NS.
2. Harriet Abley, Song in My Head, London, ON.
3. Haley Kao, Piano Friends, Walled Lake, MI.
4. Sanjay Shiva Kamar, A Litle Tiger Playing, Singapore.

Sunbeams 2 (6+7 years)
1. Jacob Fu, My Olympic Song, Maple Ridge, BC.
2. Cora Annear, Snow is Falling, Kensington, PE.
3. Akita Kotian, Akita’s Ladybug, Walled Lake, MI.
4. Jo Mingi, Water Mill, Korea.

Sunbeams 3 (7+8 years)
1. Betty, Splash, Korea.
2. Joshua Balfour, Interest, Brantford, ON.
3. Helen Gow, Happiness, Lunenburg, NS.
4. Ryenne Feeney, Snakes, Topsfield, MA.

Moonbeams 1 (7+8 years)
1. Do en Kim, Snow Slide, Korea.
2. Parker Diggle, Bagels for Breakfast, Surrey, BC.
3. Alexandra Rupert, Peace, Belmont, ON.
4. Signey Hong, Catching Butterfly, Sacramento, CA.

Moonbeams 2 (8+9 years)
1. Vu Dieu Anh, Peaceful, Vietnam.
2. Kaitlyn Hao, Railroad Crossing, Walled Lake, MI.
3. Mersadie Thiessen, The Moody Waltz, Steinbach, MB.
4. Julie MacDonald, Fading Light, Mabou, NS.

Moonbeams 3 (9+ years)
1. Ryan O’Leary, Imagination, Stow, OH.
2. Tyler Stott, Enchanted Castle, Brantford, ON.
3. Claire Scammell, Copy Cat, Torbay, NZ.
4. Hubert, The Winter Route which is Delight, Korea